ADAP Advocacy and the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) have issued a joint statement warning pharmacists that discounted HIV products purchased from online pharmacy-to-pharmacy (P2P) marketplaces meet the definition of suspect product under U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. The organizations urge pharmacies not to buy from these platforms and to consider any HIV medicines purchased from them as suspect, requiring quarantine and verification before dispensing. Patients living with HIV/AIDS are potentially being put at risk.
PSM's Executive Director, Shabbir Imber Safdar, emphasized that deeply discounted HIV products bought from unknown sellers without a pedigree qualify as suspect even before receipt, because the listing alone meets FDA risk criteria for illegitimacy. These criteria include deep discounts, an established pattern of fraud in the HIV drug supply chain over the last six years, unknown sellers, and incomplete transaction histories. Once received, damage to packaging further confirms the need for quarantine and investigation.
Online P2P marketplaces help pharmacies manage inventory but pose risks of suspicious sales. Dispensers must quarantine and investigate suspect products and report illegitimate products to the FDA and partners within 24 hours. Brandon M. Macsata, CEO of ADAP Advocacy, added that independent pharmacies have also been known to trade stock in less formal settings such as WhatsApp or Telegram, which are more vulnerable and never advisable. The organizations strongly urge pharmacists to heed their warning and avoid exposing patients to unnecessary risks.
The full warning is available online at https://www.safemedicines.org/diverted-hiv-meds-on-p2p-platforms.
